Wham! We're in Hong Kong and it's a real shock to the senses. Superficially it can appear quite familiar. They drive on the left, the buses are double deckers and the signs are in English. But they're also in Chinese and that tells you something. This is not like any Western city. It has more skyscrapers, apparently, than New York. When we were last here in 1984, the Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank building, designed by Richard Rogers, was just being finished and tow...

My first blog on the move! Arrived at Heathrow Airport - more accurately described as a shopping mall that aeroplanes happen to fly in and out of. Lovely day in London - blue skies and snow on the ground (but, thankfully, not on the runway). The start of a trend - the further south we go the better the weather is going to be. Only 2 hours shopping time before our next flight. Next bulletin from Hong Kong!

Well less than 24 hours to go before we set off and I can't get rid of a nagging feeling that I've forgotten something important. Well if I do remember before tomorrow afternoon I hope it's not heavy. Travelling light is the aim - but that doesn't take account of the cameras, the laptop, the chargers, the guide books and so on. My actual clothes would probably fit in a carry-on bag but instead I've got this giant, and feeling very heavy, bag (and another rucsac a...